It’s easy to identify the world’s richest people. Most of them (and their companies) are the subject of global headlines.

1. A Look at the World’s Wealth
Distribution
American Loans

2. It’s easy to identify the world’s richest people. Most of them (and their companies) are
the subject of global headlines.
To date, the world’s richest man is Microsoft’s Bill Gates, who has a net worth of $75
billion, according to Forbes. Following him is Amancio Ortega of Zara ($67 billion), Warren
Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway ($60.8 billion), Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu
($50 billion), and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos ($45.2 billion).
Billionaires (and millionaires), however, are a minority. When it comes to global wealth
distribution, their fortunes prove the existence of a massive wealth inequality. According
to Credit Suisse, the world’s richest (1 percent of the entire population) has more wealth
than the entire world combined.
The World’s Rich Half
To put it simply, most of the world is relatively modest in terms of wealth. In 2015, only
62 people in the world were well off – their number as much as the poorer half. That’s 3.6
billion people classified as living in poverty, as per Oxfam, an anti-poverty cause group.
This also means that it could be quite easy for even a middle-class individual to be
considered among the world’s richest.

3. Credit Suisse says that an adult needs to have a net worth of at least $3,210 minus debts
to be among the world’s wealthiest people. Being in the top 10 percent requires $68,800,
and to be in the same league as business moguls and high-profile celebrities, the limit is
$760,000. In perspective, a typical American family with a net worth of $535,000 is
actually one of the world’s richest people – and they don’t even know it.
Income Inequality Explored
Income differences are so profound that several financial experts are considering it a
scourge. Only 1 percent of the entire population holds almost half of the world’s wealth
(or 48 percent). Worldwide income disparities, however, are stranger than most think. An
income of roughly $32,000 a year is enough for one to be considered “rich” relative to
global standards. Americans seem to be better off than almost everyone else and rank
very high in household wages, according to a survey by Gallup.

4. Various reasons leave most of the world’s population in poverty. The exact figures are as
follows: the world’s over 3 billion poor people live on less than $2.50 a day. Furthermore,
at least 80 percent of all live on less than $10 a day. Because of this, an estimated
22,000 children die daily due to poverty, as per data from UNICEF. The existence of these
massive wealth gaps are a problem, sure. But until some sort of miracle happens, there’s
really little people can do.
Sources:
 http://www.americanloans.com/
 http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/#version:static_header:name
 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-richest-people-in-the-world-20160121-
story.html
 http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/050615/are-you-top-one-
percent-world.asp
 http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats